“I am not Superman” – Finidi George reveals why he dumped Enyimba job for Super Eagles

The former Ajax winger was on course to guide the Aba Elephants to back-to-back league victories before he was named the national team boss

Super Eagles head coach Finidi George has made it clear that there is no truth in the reports that suggest he would be combining the national team job with his role as Enyimba FC manager, Soccernet.ng reports.

Finidi led Enyimba FC to win the Nigeria Professional Football League title last year and had powered them to the third position on the log this term with only six games left to play.

Finidi combined his job at the Aba Elephants with his role as the assistant coach to Jose Peseiro during the Portuguese tactician’s 20-month stint in charge of the Super Eagles.

However, after Finidi was appointed to succeed Peseiro, some reports indicated he would still retain his position with Enyimba FC.

But the former Ajax Amaterdam winger has cleared the air, insisting that he has vacated his office in Aba as he is fully committed to the Super Eagles.

Finidi maintains that the national team job is a bigger job than any club position in the NPFL, especially with Nigeria looking to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“I don’t think it is wise to continue with Enyimba, knowing the level of work needed for them to retain the league title, and at the same time, carry on with the strenuous job of running a quality Super Eagles team,” Finidi told Afrik-Foot.

“I don’t think it will be wise for me handling Enyimba and the Super Eagles at the same time. I am not a superman.

“As you rightly said, this is a difficult job, and running Enyimba is also very difficult. I am only human. I can’t be stressing myself trying to win the league again and then battling with the Eagles to qualify for the World Cup; I can’t do both. So it’s wise that I follow the Super Eagles, which is a bigger challenge with a bigger commitment, which makes it a bigger job.

“We are talking about the entire country, Nigeria’s team, with over 200 million watching. I didn’t need the NFF to prompt me because I know the kind of load on the ground, and that’s why I spoke with the Chairman of Enyimba Football Club about the situation, which he understood very well. So that is not a problem at all.”

Nigeria will trade tackles with South Africa and the Benin Republic next month as part of the World Cup qualifying campaign.

This post was last modified on May 21, 2024 1:34 pm

Imhons Erons

Share
Published by
Imhons Erons

Recent Posts

Nottingham Forest unwilling to sell Super Eagles star despite exit links

English Premier League high-flyers Nottingham Forest are unwilling to sell Super Eagles striker Taiwo Awoniyi… Read More

6 hours ago

Footballer turned Golfer: Odemwingie hungry to raise Olympic-level competitors in Nigeria

Former Super Eagles and LOSC Lille striker, Peter Osaze Odemwingie, is putting in the underground… Read More

11 hours ago

From John Finch to Éric Chelle: Who are the 37 coaches that have led the Super Eagles?

The appointment of Éric Sékou Chelle as the new head coach of the Super Eagles… Read More

12 hours ago

Trabzonspor make fresh transfer decision on Bruno Onyemaechi as Boavista insist on ₦4.7 billion deal

Trabzonspor's bid to secure Nigerian international Bruno Onyemaechi from Portuguese side Boavista has reportedly stalled… Read More

12 hours ago

Crystal Palace vs Stockport: Super Eagles’ Bright Osayi-Samuel reacts to Eze Eberechi’s standout performance

Super Eagles defender Bright Osayi-Samuel has praised the performance of Crystal Palace forward Eberechi Eze… Read More

12 hours ago

Nigeria-eligible Chelsea midfielder closes in on Borussia Dortmund move following Maresca’s statement

Nigeria-eligible Chelsea midfielder, Carney Chibueze Chukwuemeka, is nearing a move to Bundesliga giants, Borussia Dortmund,… Read More

13 hours ago